Alison Hammond was stunned she had to audition for the 'Great British Bake Off'.
Alison Hammond had to audition for her Bake Off job
The 'This Morning' presenter admitted she'd never wanted a job as much as the hosting role on the Channel 4 contest alongside Noel Fielding but she was amazed at how she was put through her paces to prove herself before landing the gig.
She told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "I'd never wanted a job so bad.
"I had to audition for it and the maddest thing is, I was like, 'Don't you know who I am?' I had to do this chemistry test with Noel and they were all watching me so I said, 'Hi Noel, look at the chemistry'.
"They then handed me a script and I thought, 'That's the audition done' but they said, 'No, you've got to do a bit more.'
"So they took me to a garden centre and told me they wanted to see me interview people."
Despite being a huge hit with viewers, Alison worried about her presenting skills.
She said: "There are some times I think I'm going though the menopause because I'll be sitting there and I've no idea what this piece is."
The 48-year-old star - who first came to the public's attention when she appeared on 'Big Brother 3' in 2002 - is amazed by her career success.
She said: "I pinch myself hosting 'This Morning' and now this. I'm pinching myself all the time.
"My mum absolutely loved 'Bake Off'. I can bake but I'm like Jamie Oliver - I chuck it all in and hope it works."
But despite her success, Alison insisted she has no plans to move away from Birmingham to be based in London full time.
She said: "I put my house on sale and people were saying I'm moving to London but anyone who knows me knows Alison ain't going anywhere.
"I love Birmingham. I don't know what it is about the Brummies but I find the people are really warm."
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